Collaboration for Connectivity

2021

CCNA Partners Forum and Science Days

FINAL PROGRAM

OUR 2021 PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

09:30 - 11:00 (EDT) Session 1. CIHR meeting with CCNA partners (by invitation only)

11:00 - 12:00 Session 2. Opening session (land acknowledgement and State of the Consortium – Update on CCNA)

12:30 - 14:30 Session 3. Interactive session on Mechanisms

15:00 - 16:30 Session 4. Panel: Perspectives on bringing research bench to bedside

17:00 - 18:00 Session 5. Keynote: Noninvasive sensory stimulation to induce gamma entrainment and neuroprotection

18:00 - 20:30 Session 6. Let’s share a beer and connect!

11:00 - 12:00 Session 7. Keynote: Does innate immunity contribute to neurodegenerative disease?

12:30 - 14:30 Session 8. Interactive session on Prevention

15:00 - 18:00 Session 9. The CCNA Trainee Synapse Challenge

18:30 - 20:30 Session 10. Trainee Poster Competition

Session 11. CANCELLED 12:00 - 14:00 Session 12. Interactive session on Management

14:30 - 15:30 Session 13. Panel: Highlighting the importance of engagement in long-term residential care

16:00 - 17:30 Session 14. Panel: Equity, diversity, and inclusion of lived experiences in dementia research

17:30 - 19:00 Session 15. Partners invitation to a Happy Hour!

11:00 - 12:00 Session 16. Panel: Quality-of-life solutions developed with and for people living with dementia 12:30 - 14:00 Session 17. Panel: People with lived experience and CCNA researchers collaborating to enhance research 15:00 - 18:00 Session 18. Special closing session

NOTE: All scheduled times are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Day 1 Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Day 2 Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Day 3 Thursday, October 14, 2021

Day 4 Friday, October 15, 2021

Fatim AJWANI, speaker, session 8

Melissa ANDREW, moderator, speaker, session 12

Geneviève ARSENAULT-LAPIERRE, speaker, session 12

AmanPreet BADHWAR, speaker, session 3

Philip BARBER, speaker, session 8

Sylvie BELLEVILLE, speaker, session 8

Jennifer BETHELL, panelist, sessions 13 and 17

Neil CASHMAN, panelist, session 4; speaker, session 12

Howard CHERTKOW, MC, sessions 2 & 18

Emma CONWAY, panelist, session 13

Jeffrey CRELINSTEN, Guest Speaker, session 18

Sultan DARVESH, panelist, session 4

Gillian EINSTEIN, moderator, session 3

Margaret FAHNESTOCK, moderator, session 7; speaker, session 3

Howard FELDMAN, moderator, session 8

Catherine FERLAND, moderator, session 4

Jason FLATT, panelist, session 14

Ted FON, moderator, session 5

Claire GODARD SEBILLOTTE, speaker, session 12

Judith GODIN, speaker, session 8

Shabnam HAGHZARE, speaker, session 12

Michael HENEKA, keynote speaker, session 7

Wayne HYKAWAY, panelist, session 13

Ngozi IRONYAH, panelist, session 14

Lewis JOO, speaker, session 3

Noah KOBLINSKY, speaker, session 8

Tony LEAMON, panelist, session 17

Colleen MAXWELL, panelist, session 13

Carrie McAINEY, panelist, session 17

Kathy McGILTON, moderator, session 13

JoAnne McLAURIN, panelist, session 4

Laura MIDDLETON, panelist, session 16

Karen MYERS BARNETT, panelist, session 14

Haakon NYGAARD, speaker, session 8

Natalie PHILLIPS, speaker, session 3

Frederico PIERUCCINI-FARIA, speaker, session 8

Shusmita RASHID, moderator, session 16

Pamela ROACH, panelist, session 14

Kenneth ROCKWOOD, speaker, session 8

Ekaterina ROGAEVA, speaker, session 3

Jane RYLETT, speaker, session 1

Allison SEKULER, panelist, session 4

Nabina SHARMA, panelist, session 14

Eric E. SMITH, speaker, session 12

Ellen SNOWBALL, moderator, session 17

Elaine STASIULIS, panelist, session 16

Christine THELKER, panelist, session 17

Shanna TRENAMAN, speaker, session 12

LH TSAI, keynote speaker, session 5

Shankar TUMATI, speaker, session 3

Isabelle VEDEL, speaker, session 12

Walter WITTICH, moderator, session 14; speaker, sessions 8 & 12

SESSION DETAILS

Some sessions are pre-recorded, others are live only. The recorded sessions will be available for on-demand viewing prior

to their scheduled times. They will also be presented during their scheduled times and followed by live Q&A sessions.

SESSION 1 CIHR MEETING WITH CCNA PARTNERS (BY INVITATION ONLY)

SESSION 2 OPENING SESSION

State of the Consortium – Update on CCNA With Dr. Howard Chertkow, Scientific Director of CCNA

SESSION 3 INTERACTIVE SESSION ON MECHANISMS

This session is an opportunity to learn about work taking place across different teams. It will allow to interact, discuss,

and discover new potential collaborations and foster connectivity. This session includes six short presentations on

Mechanisms that lead to dementia and add to dementia risk by CCNA Members and Trainees. The presentations will be

followed by a discussion with the audience.

1. Relationship between cerebrovascular pathology and resting-state functional connectivity in Alzheimer’s disease

and vascular cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review. AmanPreet Badhwar – Team 7 and 9

2. Metabolic dysregulation in early Alzheimer’s disease. Lewis Joo – Team 7

3. Why is hearing loss a risk factor for dementia? An overview of possible mechanisms. Natalie Phillips - Team 17

4. Influence of sex on pathology and behaviour in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Margaret

Fahnestock – Team 2

5. The intersection between genetics, epigenetics & aging in neurodegenerative diseases. Ekaterina Rogaeva -

Team 1

6. Sex differences in the neural correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative disorders. Shankar

Tumati – Team 11

MODERATOR: Gillian Einstein

More information available on the session’s page of the event platform.

Day 1 Tuesday, October 12, 2021

SESSION 4 PANEL – Perspectives on bringing research from bed to bedside

In this panel, we will hear three stories from CCNA researchers with experience bringing their work from the bench to the bedside – from the research lab to clinical use. The stories will cover experiences of success as well as failure, challenges, lessons learned and important milestones along the way. The discussion will draw observations about partnership vs. ownership in commercial initiatives, funding paths, and the involvement of people with lived experience of dementia and other stakeholders in product and business development.

MODERATOR: Catherine Ferland

PANELISTS: Neil Cashman, Sultan Darvesh, JoAnne McLaurin, Allison Sekuler

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

SESSION 5 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Noninvasive sensory stimulation to induce gamma entrainment and neuroprotection

With Li-Huei Tsai, Ph.D. Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Rhythmic neural activity in the gamma range (30-80 Hz) is modulated during various aspects of cognitive function and has been shown to be disrupted in several neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is well established that local network oscillations at specific frequencies can be induced in cortical areas using sensory stimuli. We have applied this approach, which we term Gamma ENtrainment Using Sensory stimuli (GENUS), using patterned light and sound stimulation at

40 Hz in AD model mice. Remarkably, GENUS augmented gamma oscillation power in multiple brain regions. Moreover, chronic application led to marked reduction of amyloid and tau pathology, attenuated neurodegeneration, and improved cognitive function in multiple AD mouse models. These beneficial effects elicited by GENUS are likely to be mediated by microglia activation, and increased capillary mediated clearance. In humans, combined light and sound stimulation increases gamma oscillation power in extended brain regions including deep brain areas such as the amygdala, hippocampus and posterior insula. We found that GENUS is safe even after prolonged exposure. Preliminary data suggests that GENUS stabilized hippocampal volume in AD subjects and maintained functional connectivity in the brain. These results support further evaluation of GENUS in larger and longer clinical trials to evaluate its potential as a disease modifying therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease.

SESSION 6 BEER & GREET (live gathering)

SESSION 7 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Does innate immunity contribute to neurodegenerative disease?

With Prof. Michael Heneka, MD, Director Department for Neurodegenerative Diseases - Neurology at the University Hospital Bonn DZNE Cooperation Unit Leader: Neuroinflammation

The accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid beta peptides along with neurofibrillary tangle formation are key pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. The brain has been considered as an immune-privileged organ, however, increasing evidence from translational, genetic, and pathological studies suggests that activation of distinct innate immune pathways are a third important disease hallmark

which, once initiated, actively contributes to disease progression and chronicity.

Microglia play a pivotal role in this immune response and are activated by binding of aggregated proteins or aberrant nucleic acids to pattern recognition receptors. This immune activation leads to the release of inflammatory mediators, but also distracts microglia cells from their physiological functions and tasks, including debris clearance and trophic factor support. NLRP3 inflammasome activation and release of ASC specks contribute to spreading of pathology and impair microglia clearance mechanisms, and together contribute to neuronal spine loss, neuronal degeneration, and ultimately to spatial memory deficits. In keeping with this immune hypothesis of neurodegeneration, inhibition of this immune pathway protects from neurodegeneration in cellular and murine models of Alzheimer’s disease. Modulation of the microglia driven innate immune response at key signaling steps might therefore be protective and alter disease progression. However, the microglia are not a stable population, but have continuous turn over, most likely resulting in more than one generation of microglia being involved in disease progression. Moreover their turnover is increased in response to neurodegeneration. Along with the regional diversity of microglia, these phenomena need to be understood in more detail prior to targeting innate immune mechanisms for therapeutic purposes.

SESSION 8 INTERACTIVE SESSION ON PREVENTION

This session is an opportunity to learn about work taking place across different teams. It will allow to interact, discuss, and discover new potential collaborations and foster connectivity. This session includes five short presentations on research related to dementia Prevention by CCNA Members and Trainees. The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the audience.

1. An update on the Canadian Therapeutics Platform Trial for Testing Interventions to Prevent Dementia (CAN-THUMBS UP). Haakon Nygaard – CAN-THUMBS UP

2. Preventing age-related cognitive decline: Brain Health Pro, a remote multidomain program with and for older adults and their communities. Sylvie Belleville and Walter Wittich – CAN-THUMBS UP Platform/Teams 10 & 17

3. The problems of old age come as a package: relevance for dementia prevention. Ken Rockwood and Judith Godin – Team 14

4. LEAD feasibility trial and the Brain Health Food Guide. Noah Koblinsky – Team 5 (with Fatim Ajwani in the question period)

5. PREVENT Study, prospective longitudinal cohort study in TIA patients and control subjects. Philip Barber – Team 7 6. Motor markers and gait variability for dementia prediction. Frederico Pieruccini-Faria – Team 12

MODERATOR: Howard Feldman

Day 2 Wednesday, October 13, 2021

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

SESSION 9 THE CCNA TRAINEE SYNAPSE CHALLENGE

The Training and Capacity Building (T&CB) Program has relaunched the Interdisciplinary Trainee Research Innovation

Challenge (iTRIC) as The CCNA Trainee Synapse Challenge. This year, there are six $10,000 prizes up for grabs, and

following up on the success of the Women, Sex, Gender and Dementia Program Bonus prize last year, there are four

Cross-cutting Program prizes available this year: Women, Sex, Gender and Dementia, Knowledge Translation and

Exchange, Ethical, Legal and Social Implications, and Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia.

CCNA Trainees have been hard at work developing project proposals. Don’t miss this opportunity to support trainees as

they present to the Synapse Challenge Review Panel in this Training and Capacity Building Program conference session.

There will be an opportunity for the CCNA community to vote for their favourite project and a bonus for the best

proposal as selected by the CCNA membership.

Projects presented in this competition:

Microstructural underpinnings of mild behavioral impairment across age-related neurodegenerative diseases

An integrated approach to factors promoting physical activity for cognitive health

Is grandmother on too many medications?

Cerebral blood flow & dynamic movement in mild cognitive impairment

Tailoring research on potentially inappropriate prescribing in persons with dementia using patient and care

partner perspectives

The impact of a virtual intergenerational social program on quality of life and social connectedness in Indigenous

older adults during COVID-19

SESSION 10 LIVE POSTER SESSION

Tonight, 36 posters are competing in 4 categories: Master’s trainee posters; PhD/PhD and MD trainee posters; Postdoctoral trainee posters and Indigenous-focused, community engaged research project. You can also vote for your favorite poster for the fifth category: People’s choice award!

SESSION 11 CANCELLED

SESSION 12 INTERACTIVE SESSION ON MANAGEMENT

This session is an opportunity to learn about work taking place across different teams. It will allow to interact, discuss, and discover new potential collaborations and foster connectivity. This session includes six short presentations on research related to Management of dementia and health care by CCNA Members and Trainees. The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the audience.

1. Clinical translation of protein misfolding-specific antibodies. Neil Cashman – Team 3 2. Care-partners' views on automated vehicle use as an intervention to prolong the safe driving of people with

dementia. Shabnam Haghzare – Team 16 3. TRIC VCI trial phase 2a of remote ischemic conditioning for treatment of VCI. Eric Smith – Team 7 4. Investigating inequities in health service utilization among persons with dementia, the role of sex, rurality and

socioeconomic status. Isabelle Vedel, Claire Godard-Sebillotte and Geneviève Arsenault-Lapierre – Team 19 5. The importance of sensory health for cognitive aging. Walter Wittich - Team 17 6. One thing at a time adds up to trouble: the importance of frailty and deprescribing. Shanna Trenaman and

Melissa Andrew – Team 14

MODERATOR: Melissa Andrew

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

SESSION 13 PANEL - Highlighting the importance of engagement in long term residential care

In this session, researchers, a trainee and a member of the EPLED Advisory Group will discuss the importance of engagement in the lives of persons living in long-term residential care, the impact of restrictions that evolved during COVID-19 on residents as well as their care partners and families, and the strategies they developed to help manage these restrictions.

MODERATOR: Katherine McGilton

PANELISTS: Colleen Maxwell, Emma Conway, Jennifer Bethell, Wayne Hykaway

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

Day 3 Thursday, October 14, 2021

SESSION 14 PANEL - Equity, diversity and inclusion of lived experiences in dementia research: The path behind

and the road ahead

Living with dementia and caring for a loved one with dementia is challenging in many ways. For people who face discrimination because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and other social constructs this experience has unique difficulties. In this panel, people with personal experience of this kind, as well as with dementia research and dementia advocacy expertise, will share their perspectives and knowledge – both personal and professional. As funding agencies increase the demand for meaningful involvement of people with lived experience in research, it should be ensured that the experiences that inform research cover a broad spectrum of voices.

PANELISTS: Pamela Roach, Jason Flatt, Ngozi Iroanyah, Karen Myers Barnett, Nabina Sharma

MODERATOR: Walter Wittich

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

SESSION 15 PARTNERS INVITATION TO A HAPPY HOUR!

SESSION 16 PANEL - Quality-of-life solutions developed with and for people living with dementia

Collaboration with people living with dementia helps researchers to address the challenges and needs of people living with dementia in ways that are meaningful and impactful. This session highlights two projects that used co-design with an aim to improve the experience of people living with dementia and their families. The first presentation will describe working with people living with dementia and family carers to develop an online educational resource called the Driving and Dementia Roadmap (DDR). The second presentation will describe the co-design process used to develop a multi-component program, The Dementia Lifestyle Intervention for Getting Healthy Together (DELIGHT) that supports the health and well-being of people living with dementia and their family care partners.

MODERATOR: Shusmita Rashid

SPEAKERS: Elaine Stasiulis, Laura Middleton

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

SESSION 17 PANEL - People with Lived Experience and CCNA researchers collaborating to enhance research

In this session, you will hear about the CCNA Engagement of People with Lived Experience of Dementia (EPLED) Cross-cutting Program and, in particular, the EPLED Advisory Group composed of people from across Canada with lived experience of dementia. Advisory Group members are engaged in multiple CCNA activities and research projects. Jennifer Bethell, Carrie McAiney and two Advisory Group members, Christine Thelker and Tony Leamon, will discuss one such project: "Forward with Dementia", which aims to develop and evaluate an intervention to improve the dementia diagnosis experience and the supports provided following a diagnosis.

PANELISTS: Jennifer Bethell, Carrie McAiney, Christine Thelker, Tony Leamon

MODERATOR: Ellen Snowball

More information available in the session’s page of the event platform.

Day 4 Friday, October 15, 2021

SESSION 18 SPECIAL CLOSING SESSION

Join us for an exciting event finale that will be one to remember!

This live session will be divided into three parts. Part 1: Announcement of the Trainee Poster Competition winners. Part 2: Special Guest Talk Our guest speaker Jeffrey Crelinsten, PhD, will present his thoughts on the future of research in Canada with a talk tailored especially for our CCNA 2021 Partners Forum and Science Days.

NAVIGATING CANADA’S EVOLVING RESEARCH LANDSCAPE

A talk by Jeffrey Crelinsten, PhD, President and CEO, The Impact Group, and Publisher and CEO, Re$earch Money.

Dr. Jeffrey Crelinsten has been studying science, technology and society for over 30 years, as an academic, writer, historian, communicator, consultant and publisher. In 1987 he co-founded The Impact Group, a consulting firm specializing in science, technology and innovation policy, communications and education. In 2001 he acquired Re$earch Money, Canada’s leading publication on science, technology, innovation and investment. He founded the annual Re$earch Money Conference, which examines policy issues relevant to the research, policy, innovation and investment communities. The conference brings together leaders and practitioners from Canada and abroad. Jeffrey is also a Senior Research Associate at the Innovation Policy Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. His

research is primarily focused on the nature of innovation, science and innovation policy, innovation ecosystems and innovation culture. Jeffrey received his B.Sc. in physics from McGill University, his M.Sc. in astronomy from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. in history of science and science policy at the University of Montreal.

Part 3 The stage is yours

What do you think of the problems and solutions presented by Dr. Crelinsten? Participate in an informal and lively discussion moderated by CCNA’s Associate Scientific Director Natalie Phillips. Your voice and ideas are crucial for the future of research on dementia.